Hinged orthopedic braces having an adjustable range of pivotal movement, as disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,481,941 and 4,531,515, both to Rolfes, are known in the art. The braces disclosed therein have stops positioned at points about the hinge to limit the range of pivotal movement of the two arms of the brace relative to each other which are joined at the hinge. The stops, as taught by the art, may be a pin or a screw, although screws are preferred because, being threaded, they can be firmly secured to the brace by corresponding threads in the brace until it is desired to reposition them.
It has been found, however, that screws of the sizes required for use as stops in hinged braces are so small as to render removal and repositioning of the screws in different positions about the hinge awkward and cumbersome. Thus, screws act as a hindrance to necessary adjustments of the brace, particularly by an unskilled user. The small size of the screws also renders them susceptible to being misplaced or lost during adjustment of the brace. Pins are even less satisfactory than screws as stops because of their propensity to slip out of position during use of the brace. As such, a brace is needed which overcomes these problems experienced in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hinged orthopedic brace having stops which effectively limit the range of pivotal movement of the two brace arms, yet which are easily repositionable on the brace to adjust the range of pivotal movement of the arms with a minimal risk of losing or misplacing the stops. It is further an object of the present invention to provide a hinged orthopedic brace having such stops which resist inadvertent slippage from their operable position during use of the brace. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a hinged orthopedic brace having stops which are selectively accessible to the user, thereby enabling or restricting repositioning of the stops as desired.